Lets talk Legos!

[Double Trouble]

I used to love legos when I was a kid. Fantastic toys, they allow you to use your imagination while building engineering skills, dexterity and motor control.

Now I have kids of my own and they like legos too so I "help" them build stuff. What I don't like is that modern legos seem to be more and more special sets that have special parts and instructions to build a certain item and less "free build" using your imagination.

One of the things my sons love is tanks. They build lego tanks all the time, but it's hard to make good ones without tracks and certain specific parts. I'd like to build a really cool tank for them, but lack the skill and creativity to do it. Searching around the web, there's lots of youtube videos of people building cool tank designs etc, but very little in the way of parts lists. The only place I've found that has the parts and instructions is brickmania, but I'm not about to pay $300 - $500 for a single small lego tank, no matter how cool. Any other good place to get instructions along with where to get the parts?

What say you, any of you still enjoy legos?

 

[Red Squirrel]

I noticed this too about Lego, so many specialized parts and less consistent ones in large quantities. Back as a kid you could buy sets with tons of 2x4's and similar blocks, having many of few types meant more possibilities. Now there are so many specialized parts that you are somewhat limited. they cost a lot too so trying to get a lot of a certain type would cost a LOT. I'm not really into them myself now but just what I've noticed from seeing them in stores and what not.

I was more into k'nex as a kid though but did play with Lego a lot too.

I suppose with 3D printers it would not be too hard to mass produce any lego part you want, though it probably won't be the same quality plastic and consistency of real ones. There is a very specific formula for Legos.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

k'nex

These seem like a modern Tinkertoys variation.

 

[TwiceOver]

*Lego

Yeah, lots of specialized parts that all I can think of is "Well, this would have been useful in my day". Luckily my mom saved my huge boxes of Lego bricks and my son plays with those along with his new sets. So lots of free building AND instruction building. The free building things aren't super awesome 'we could sell this', but I notice his skills are getting better all the time.

We did just build Benny's Spaceship the other day. The biggest set he has. We also rebuilt my 7722 Lego Steam Cargo Train set. First time that thing ran down the track in nearly 30 years and it still worked perfectly fine.

 

[Homerboy]

There are about 5 or 6 of those big tupperware buckets in my house filled with LEGO bricks. For many years all my son got for Christmas, birthdays, arbor day... whatever was LEGO sets. We still make it a point to buy him a small set for Christmas and the like. This Christmas he (and my wife) bought me a set. It was awesome.

I whole heartedly admit that I was living vicariously through him and buy "me" sets the whole time

 

[Homerboy]

I noticed this too about Lego, so many specialized parts and less consistent ones in large quantities. Back as a kid you could buy sets with tons of 2x4's and similar blocks, having many of few types meant more possibilities. Now there are so many specialized parts that you are somewhat limited. they cost a lot too so trying to get a lot of a certain type would cost a LOT. I'm not really into them myself now but just what I've noticed from seeing them in stores and what not.

I was more into k'nex as a kid though but did play with Lego a lot too.

I suppose with 3D printers it would not be too hard to mass produce any lego part you want, though it probably won't be the same quality plastic and consistency of real ones. There is a very specific formula for Legos.

How on earth are you MORE limited with MORE brick choices?

 

[SketchMaster]

Love lego. The big'o box of them I had growing up got claimed by my sister for her kids, but I'm ok with the next generation getting to use them.

One of the things my sons love is tanks. They build lego tanks all the time, but it's hard to make good ones without tracks and certain specific parts.

I've been told that Lego was about ready to go under until they started making Harry Potter sets. Apparently, the Potter fever was high enough to inject some much-needed cash into Logo from people going crazy over the sets. It could be that Logo realized they could sell more themed sets than generic block sets.

I'm full of crap. Here's the real story of the Lego turnaround: http://www.businessinsider.com/how-lego-made-a-huge-turnaround-2014-2

 

[TwiceOver]

Love lego. The big'o box of them I had growing up got claimed by my sister for her kids, but I'm ok with the next generation getting to use them.



I've been told that Lego was about ready to go under until they started making Harry Potter sets. Apparently, the Potter fever was high enough to inject some much-needed cash into Logo from people going crazy over the sets. It could be that Logo realized they could sell more themed sets than generic block sets.

I'm full of crap. Here's the real story of the Lego turnaround: http://www.businessinsider.com/how-lego-made-a-huge-turnaround-2014-2

The LEGO Brickumentary was pretty cool. They are a fantastic company and really one of the cornerstones of child development. It would have been a shame for them to go under, even though it would have probably lead to the rise of other competing companies like "Mega Blocks" (shudder).

 

[waffleironhead]

If you are trying for a tank, you might want to get the volcano crawler. Mind you the tracks dont really roll too well. It has one big wheel under it for rolling around, but the tracks could be used in a tank build.

http://brickset.com/sets/60122-1/Volcano-Crawler

 

[madoka]

What say you, any of you still enjoy legos?

I've been known to buy Lego occasionally. Here's my recent Bricklink activity:

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Any other good place to get instructions along with where to get the parts?

7664 TIE Crawler is a Star Wars tank of sorts. Still somewhat reasonably priced.

 

[Ns1]

tie crawler? the fuck?

 

[shortylickens]

too expensive.

 

[Sonikku]

This is the one I always begged and begged my mother for when it came out in 89. The Black Seas Barracuda.

She told me it was just too expensive. And I guess it was, but its cost has only gone up five fold or more on Ebay. Oh well. Perhaps someday when I'm not living hand to mouth.

 

[Red Squirrel]

How on earth are you MORE limited with MORE brick choices?

Because you have very few of any particular type.

 

[Imp]

I tried to start a collection 2 years ago... then I went minimalist and can't stand the clutter, sold them all for 50% of purchase price. Fail is me.

 

[Double Trouble]

Love lego. The big'o box of them I had growing up got claimed by my sister for her kids, but I'm ok with the next generation getting to use them.



I've been told that Lego was about ready to go under until they started making Harry Potter sets. Apparently, the Potter fever was high enough to inject some much-needed cash into Logo from people going crazy over the sets. It could be that Logo realized they could sell more themed sets than generic block sets.

I'm full of crap. Here's the real story of the Lego turnaround: http://www.businessinsider.com/how-lego-made-a-huge-turnaround-2014-2

Thanks for the link, interesting read. I had no idea lego was in such bad shape ten years ago. I don't understand why the blocks cost so much to make, but i guess they do.

If you are trying for a tank, you might want to get the volcano crawler. Mind you the tracks dont really roll too well. It has one big wheel under it for rolling around, but the tracks could be used in a tank build.

http://brickset.com/sets/60122-1/Volcano-Crawler

Hmmm.. might be able to strip the tracks and use them for a tank build. Thx.

I've been known to buy Lego occasionally. Here's my recent Bricklink activity:

[

Holy crap... you must have some awesome stuff

I've looked around some more and I'm stunned there's no easy way to build a cool wwii tank. I was thinking a tiger or sherman, or maybe pershing, but i can't find any place that has the plans and parts list. I'll keep looking. I think if they introduced wwii style sets with tanks and soldiers they'd make a boatload.

Boy i wish i would have kept all those bins of lego blocks i had when i was a kid.....